Published by: Zina Gontscharow on 7/20/2011 9:43:51 AM
From NAPH's Health Policy Intern - Sheila Yahyazadeh:
Talk about a heated discussion - July 11th marked the week of two intense hearings on the controversial Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB). Early Tuesday morning, on July 12th, interns lined up outside the House Budget Committee hearing room — patiently waiting for the doors to be opened. The majority of the audience was no older than 25 years of age, which had C-SPAN’s audio and visual team chuckling at the scene. As the doors opened, the room flooded with people scrambling to find a seat. I was lucky enough to find one nuzzled between the Washington Post and some hill staffers.
Chairman Paul Ryan and Congressman Chris Van Hollen opened the hearing with statements reiterating the need to reduce health care costs. The real discussion began when committee members began questioning Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, about the legitimacy and constitutionality of IPAB. Senator George Price from Georgia, emphatically expressed his utter dislike of the board stating that it “rationed care” and “undermined patient and physician trust.” After several more back and forth discussions between Secretary Sebelius and committee members, it was clear to me that the tension in the room was not solely due to IPAB but rather the Affordable Care Act (ACA). While I understand the disagreements over IPAB, I am pretty sure that health reform was already signed into law.
After all was said and done (and after 1 hour and 30 minutes of diligent note taking), Chairman Ryan ended the hearing with a fundamental question: who should be in charge of providing health care? While there may be no clear cut answer to this question, I think it is safe to say that with any approach, our leaders must consider the unintended consequences of implementing reform mechanisms like IPAB.
I was not so fortunate in finding a seat or even gaining entrance into the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee hearing. Having arrived almost 1 hour and 30 minutes early, I was redirected to an overflow room which was supposed to be broadcasting the debate. Unfortunately, technical difficulties made it impossible to catch the discussions. News reports from this hearing continue to mention IPAB as the “target of the moment” for GOP members pushing to repeal the board. Health industry lobbying groups and various consumer advocates have also joined the GOP effort.
What I found most interesting about the IPAB discussions was the lack of effective communication and general understanding of IPAB and ACA. All politics aside, the need to curb health care costs will likely be debated in the years to come.